The big news story at the moment is the death of Michael Jackson at the relatively young age of 50. The death of any well known personality, especially if it comes unexpectedly, brings with it the sharp reminder of our human mortality. It was Benjamin Franklin who famously wrote, "'In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."Personally I was never a big Michael Jackson fan, though it is clear that his influence on the music scene was enormous. At the height of his fame he was a global phenomenon, and one of the most well known personalities in the world. One vivid memory was when, in June 1995, Sony launched $30 million dollar promotional campaign for the album HIStory by floating a huge statue of Michael Jackson down the River Thames. There were a total of nine statues throughout Europe. Each statue was 10 metres tall, 2,100 kilograms in weight and made from steel and fibreglass. It seems to me at the time that is was almost as if Jackson was being given a god-like status.
But of course the later part of Jackson's life brought with it many troubles. It seems like Michael Jackson, despite all that the world had offered him in terms of fame and fortune, was a sad and rather lonely figure. I feel sorry for him, and hope that he got his relationship with God sorted out before he died.
Six months ago I officiated at the burial of ashes ceremony for one of my former church members. Her ashes were carried on that occasions by her husband, who had been widowed after over 50 years of marriage. Little did we know then that just six months later I would be officiating (today) at the burial of the ashes of the husband. As we shared in the short ceremony, we met a lady who had come to replace the flowers on the grave of her deceased 27 year old daughter. Life is fragile. Life is precious.
No comments:
Post a Comment